A Need For Something More
by Findel
Summary: The sequel to The Feelings I Hide. Lina hasn't seen Zel in over a year but with a little help form his present she realizes she loves him. I hope this is correct this time.


**A Need For Something More**

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Here's the promised sequel to The Feelings I Hide, and set a year after it. Hope you all enjoy. 

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_Waitin', watchin' the clock, it's four o'clock, it's got to stop  
Tell him, take no more, she practices her speech_

Lina tossed and turned as she tried to sleep. She couldn't shake this feeling from her being that something was wrong. She sat up in bed as she finally confessed to herself that she knew exactly what was wrong, her love life. It had been a year since the gang had spilt up and she was still traveling with Gourry, the man she loved. Well at least that's what she thought at the beginning, but now she was having doubts. She shook her head, 'That's not right. You know that you don't love him anymore... so why can't I tell him,' Lina fought for ideas as she sat with her knees to her chest. "Damnit, why must things like this always happen to me," she asked anything that would listen.

She kicked the chair near her bed in a small fit of rage. As the chair went toppling down so did her cloak. She was soon alerted to something when she heard a small *thunk* coming from the center of the room. She turned to see that same stone in the moonlight that came through the window of her room. She smiled slightly at it, remembering how beautiful it was, but then had another realization. "Whoa Lina, remember what happened last time someone touched it? It was hard enough to get Amelia out of her room to leave. What happened one minute she was holding the stone the next she was baling," Lina asked herself rhetorically.

_As he opens the door, she rolls over...  
Pretends to sleep as he looks her over_

/Flashback/

Lina and company awoke to find that Zelgadis had left the night before without saying goodbye. "Why that...that...if I ever see his sorry hide again...oh I'll," Lina fumed at the audacity of the chimera.

While Lina ranted she whipped around quickly and the stone left its pocket in her cloak and hit Amelia smack in the head. "Oww, Miss Lina that hurt," Amelia all but wailed as she rubbed her head.

"Sorry Amelia, I guess I should make sure everything will stay in my cloak next time," Lina said apologetically as she picked up the stone.

"What is that Miss Lina? Some kind of odd marble or something," Amelia asked as she looked at the object in Lina's hand.

"I don't know. I found it in the forest a few nights back and no one seems to know what it is, or isn't telling me," Lina said slightly dangerous.

"Let me see it maybe I can help you," Amelia said as Lina dropped the stone into her hands.

As soon as the stone hit her hand Amelia was sucked into a memory. It was of Lina and Zel fighting back to back against Duelgear and the mass of creatures in the town of Maderon. The memory continued and she felt Zel's heart speed up as the contact with Lina almost made him shiver. He then repressed the emotion and the smile that would've followed before launching his attack. The memory cut off there and Amelia was left with the stone in her hand. She couldn't believe what she just saw but it was so real and convincing that she couldn't help but believe it. 'Mister Zelgadis loves Miss Lina?!? How...how...how could this be,' Amelia panicked as tears began to flow and she ran towards her room baling like a two year old.

/End Flashback/

_She lies and says she's in love with him, can't find a better man...  
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, can't find a better man..._

Lina walked to where the stone laid on the floor and looked down at the object. She watched as the inside of the stone began again with its mind numbing dance. 'What is it about this stone?? It did something to Amelia and yet every time I look at it I feel so... relieved,' Lina mused as she picked up the stone. "What's up with you, you unnerve Zel, make Amelia cry, and yet make me feel so relaxed. It's like you where meant to be with me or something," Lina said towards the stone.

The stone, being a stone, just sat there in Lina's hand and reflected the moonlight off its glossy surface. Lina watched it as she began to slip into the same bliss the stone had provided so many nights ago, but this time the bliss was interrupted by a certain jellyfish's snoring coming from next room. Lina's brow furrowed and she raked her hands through her hair angrily as Gourry's snoring got louder. "Stupid jellyfish, can't even be quiet in his sleep. Oh, how did I ever dupe myself into thinking I loved him for almost a year," Lina asked rhetorically.

_Can't find a better man   
Can't find a better man_

Lina moved back onto the bed as she berated herself on many things, one being the whole thinking she loved Gourry thing. After a moment she calmed down some and began to reflect, 'Man, this just isn't my day: first I figure out that I've wasted a whole year and now that time of the month is coming up and I'm stuck with Gourry and only Gourry. I still love the big lug but not like I thought. I love him more like a big brother than a lover.' "Oh Zel, where are you when I need you," she asked the air around her, "You could always help to keep me calm and entertained during times like these. Why...why did you leave so suddenly??"

"Because that's what he always does," answered a familiar voice from out of no where.

"Xellos!! Come out now and I will go easy on you," Lina commanded the mazuko that she knew was about.

Xellos phased in right behind Lina and instantly glomped her saying, "I missed you too Lina-chan," before receiving a blow to the head.

"You fruitcake," Lina yelled as she put Xellos in a head lock, "Now that you're here you can answer a few questions."

_Ohh..._

"Ack...Lina-chan...can't...can't breath," Xellos blurted out to finally convince Lina to release her hold of him, "Now what do you want to know?"

"What is this stone? I know you know, and it seems to have a effect on people that see it or touch it," Lina asked as she showed him the stone.

"Well, if you take off a glove and place a finger to it then you might get your answer," Xellos stated matter-of-factly but then quirked an eye when he realized what he said, "Um, Lina-chan, why are you still dressed at this time of night?"

Lina looked away as a bit of a blush came to her face, "I just felt that sense I couldn't sleep I should get dressed and be ready for tomorrow. Enough about that, I want to see what's up with this stone."

With that Lina slipped off a glove a took a deep breathe. She then slowly placed her index finger onto the center of the stone and was taken away into place she recognized.

_Talkin' to herself, there's no one else who needs to know...  
She tells herself, oh..._

She was saw the town of Maderon and Duelgear and his bunch of lackeys about to attack her and Zel. She watched as they took up a defensive position standing back to back. Lina was soon in shock at the emotion, she could somehow feel, coming from Zel. As she touched him she felt him dampen down the want to shiver and the smile that was trying to come with it. She then watched as they sprung into battle and the memory ended. Lina just stared with her mouth slightly open as she asked, "What...what was that?"

"That was a memory," Xellos stated nonchalantly before taking a sip of tea that had mystically appeared out of no where.

"What do you mean a memory?? What is this stone anyway," she asked slightly confused

_Memories back when she was bold and strong  
And waiting for the world to come along..._

"What you hold in your hand right now is what's known as a dream tear. They are the dreams, ideas, and memories of the person that cried them. Whatever the person was thinking about then they cried is what is locked in the tear. But, it is said that only creatures like golems and those with an affinity towards the earth can make these," Xellos said as he looked at the tear.

"So this is someone's memory. And only earth creatures can...Wait a minute, Zelgadis is part golem, and he would remember that, that would mean..." Lina trailed off not sure if she could believe what she was thinking.

"Yeah it would seem our stoic chimera isn't as stoic as he seemed," Xellos said teasingly, "of course that's why he left..." Xellos was cut off by Lina hitting with a chair.

"Xellos!!! You mean to tell me you knew he was leaving and didn't try to stop him, or wake someone to stop him," Lina yelled at the trickster priest that was sprawled out on her bed.

_Swears she'd do it, now she swears he's gone   
She lies and says she's in love with him, can't find a better man...  
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, can't find a better man..._

Xellos got up and began to back off saying, "But Lina-chan, he threatened me if I tried to stop him or told anyone. I mean he is already going to be angry that I told you about the tear," Xellos said as a sweatdrop formed at the back on his head.

"I'm not buying it Xellos," Lina said as she stalked towards him in anger, "And besides, you should be afraid of Zel, right now you should be afraid of me!!!"

Xellos phased out to the other side of the room and said while putting his hand up in defense, "Now Lina-chan, your getting all worked up on this and you need your rest."

Lina just glared at him as she began to stalk towards him again saying, "I don't care Xellos. Right now I feel like hurting something and you just happen to fit the bill."

"Well I just remembered something Master Zelas wanted me to do, so if you'll excuse me," Xellos said as he phased out to who knows where.

_ She lies and says she still loves him, can't find a better man...  
She dreams in color, she dreams in red, can't find a better man..._

Lina glared at the spot where Xellos had just been and fought with all her will to not just throw a fireball at it. After a few moments of mental argument she collapsed into a ball sitting on the floor knees curled into her chest. 'The symptoms are starting earlier than I expected. I thought I would have at least one more day left before I would go into fits of rage and the like,' she thought with a bit of a wince as she felt her stomach cramp.

After battling off her stomach spasms Lina stood up and looked around the room. She then noticed the clock, she had about five hours before the sun rose and about seven hours before Gourry normally woke up. She went over to the clock and set it to wake her up in three hours. She then laid down and forced herself into sleep even though her mind was spinning with questions. 

_ Can't find a better man  
Can't find a better man_

While asleep Lina dreams she was in a field of flowers. She ran and frolicked through the field, gathering flowers in her arm as she went. She kneeled down to pick an iris went a foot stepped in front of her. She looked at the plain brown boot and the beige colored cloth off the pants. She gasped slightly as she looked up, hoping it was who she was thinking of at the moment. When she saw Zel smiling down at her she sprang up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders while sending flowers flying through the air. "I've missed you," she whispered as she embraced the chimera. 

"I missed you too Lina," Zel said as his cheek laid against her flame red hair. He held her gently to his chest as she held the embrace around his neck. He gasped as she began to nuzzle his neck whispering, "Zel..." 

Lina nuzzled Zel's neck while calling his name longingly. She breathe in his scent which seemed to consist of earth, lighting, and something that she could only identify as Zel. She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. She became locked within the sapphire pools that she stared at and as time seemed to stop she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. 

_ Yeah...  
She loved him, yeah...she don't want to leave this way_

What started out as a simple innocent kiss took a turn for the passion filled when Zel intensified the kiss. Lina soon felt Zel's tongue on her lips asking entrance into her mouth. She allowed him in and moaned in pleasure as their tongues connected in the seductive dance. After a moment she began to mimic Zel and began to taste him and she enjoyed it as she was rewarded with a deep moan from Zel. Soon they parted and stared into each others eyes. As Lina was about to go back for another taste a loud ringing noise invaded her dream and she shot up in bed. 

Lina looked around, a hot sweat slid down her face, as she found the disturbance. She turned the alarm clock off and went to the dresser. She filled the water basin up and washed her face off. After rinsing her face a couple of times she toweled off and looked at her reflection. 'Lina you are way gone if your like this over dreams about him,' she thought teasingly to herself. She than began to pack as she saw what time it was. "I have to get moving before anyone is up to see me," she said as she started rounding up her stuff. 

_ She feeds him, yeah...that's why she'll be back again  
Can't find a better man   
Can't find a better man_

Lina had finished collecting her stuff and was now sitting at the small table in her room and writing a short note. After she finished the note she folded it twice and wrote, "Gourry," on the front. She then placed the note on the dresser in front of the water basin.

After writing her goodbye letter she opened her window and looked into the street. 'Not a soul in sight,' she mused to herself as she cast a raywing and flew towards the entrance to town. She landed right at the edge of town and began walking in the direction of the desert of destruction. She knew that's where Zelgadis was heading last, now she only hoped she would find him alive and not dead in some desert ravine. "Please be alive, for me, Zel," she whispered while saying a little prayer.

_Can't find a better...man...  
Can't find a better man_

Lina walked for a good bit of the day and hadn't seen any towns she was wondering how far the next town was in this direction. She pulled out the dream tear and looked at it as she rested for a moment. The tear still shined as bright as ever and now for some reason felt like it was being pulled towards the way Lina was going. 'That has to be Zel,' Lina thought happily as she began walking again. She felt reluctant to put the tear away in her cloak but that was the only way to carry it. "You know I should have you put into a bracelet or something like that when I find a jeweler," Lina said to the tear as she put it away.

As Lina walked on the sun got lower in the sky as the day passed, 'By now Gourry's probably looking for me,' she thought sadly as she trudged along the road. 'It was for the good of the both of us,' she mentally rationalize as she kept walking. As the sun set a flame-haired sorceress was seen walking into the sunset heading for the next town to find a jeweler and the man she loved. 

_Ohh...ohh...  
Uh huh...   
Ohh..._

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Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from **The Slayers** do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.

Feedback is requested, please send all comments to findelhe@hotmail.com

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